I’ve always heard a lot about Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef, but never having been through Graff-Reinet, where his famous murals from the Johannesburg Railway Station now hang, I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing much of his work.

Happily, that all changed a few weeks back with a leisurely Sunday wander to the Franschhoek Valley. Over the Helshoogte Pass, down through the forests and vineyards and right on the road into the ‘French Corner’.

The road to Moreson always tempts for their farm-cured charcuterie, but this time it was left into the La Motte Estate for a visit to what now ranks as one of my favourite wine lands destinations.

I’ve never had a huge appetite for art, but the prospect of trying out the estate’s new restaurant was more than incentive enough to visit. And you’d do well to arrive early for lunch, so you can take a wander through the airy La Motte Museum.